February 29, 2016
2
I heard God’s voice so clearly in the silence
I never wanted to be an officer. For
years as I was growing up as the child
of officers, I saw the daily difficulties
my parents faced. I wanted to be a
nurse. I wanted a nice car, and more
importantly, I wanted to never move
again.
I started college and started
preparing myself for the life I wanted
to lead. In the summer of 1998, I had
the wonderful opportunity to be on
the summer service team to Moldova.
It became such a summer of clarity
for me. When you enjoy socializing as
much as I do, sometimes the Lord has
to take you to a place where you have
mycalling
Captain Beth Swyers
to listen instead of always talking. That
place for me was Moldova.
We spent a lot of time that summer
in personal devotions and devotion
time with our team. I learned to wait
and listen upon the Lord. In the silence
of the summer I heard the Lord speak
to me quite clearly about his plans for
my life. They definitely didn’t correlate
Hearts and crafts
with my plans.
I came to see that
even though officers face difficulties,
they don’t face them alone. I knew that
if I wanted to be obedient, I needed to
follow the Lord’s plan. When I came
home from Moldova. I changed my
major so I could finish college in a
year. Then in 1999, I entered the School
The Valentines party put on by the Greenville, South Carolina, Women’s Auxiliary warmed the hearts of the women’s
and children’s shelter, men’s shelter and men’s rehabilitation program. The auxiliary provided arts and crafts for
the kids and their moms as well as homemade treats
and candy. The women also baked muffins, cupcakes and
cookies and shared the goodies with the people in the
women’s and children’s shelter, men’s shelter and men’s rehabilitation program. The reaction by the women and children at the party was heartwarming. The kids experienced
a moment of happiness and their mothers appreciated
the reaction of their chilldren. The men’s reactions ranged
from smiling gratitude to tearful thanks because someone
took the time to bake cookies and treats for them.
Lt. Colonel Elsbeth
Frierson
Lt. Colonel Elsbeth Frierson
was promoted to Glory Feb. 3,
2016. Her funeral service was held
Feb. 8 at Atlanta Temple Corps.
Speaking words of tribute were
Commissioner John Busby, Irene
West, Lt. Colonel Mary Ward, Major
Marion Durham and Commissioner
Merlyn Cooper. Commissioner Raymond Cooper
brought the message. The burial was at Westview
Cemetery in Atlanta.
Beth was born Aug. 3, 1935, in Rockville Centre,
New York, to officer parents, then Captains John W.
and Elsbeth Busby. In 1939, the Busby family was
appointed to the Southern Territory. After graduating
from Atlanta’s Henry Grady High School, Beth
attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and
earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
After teaching school for a year, she entered officer
training from Atlanta Temple. She was commissioned
with the Pioneers session of 1959 and appointed to
assist in Macon, Georgia.
She married Captain Alvin Loy Frierson Nov. 26,
1959, and they served as corps officers in Birmingham,
Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi. In 1964, they
were appointed to the Texas divisional staff, and
while they were there adopted a newborn son whom
they named John Mark Frierson. In 1967, the Friersons
were appointed to the Virginia and Southern West
Virginia divisional staff, followed by an appointment
to territorial headquarters in 1970.
Beth worked for 24 years in the Territorial Women’s
Department and continued to serve there for more
than 15 years following the Friersons’ retirement in
1994. Beth was a delegate to the 1990 international
congress and attended the Brengle Institute in
Chicago.
An Atlanta Temple soldier described Beth as the
most gentle person she had ever met. Known for her
hospitality and charm, for many years she hosted
the Atlanta Temple Home League women for an
afternoon tea at the Southern Bible Conference.
Lt. Colonel Loy Frierson was promoted to Glory
in 2010. Beth is survived by son John Mark (Sandra),
brother Commissioner John Busby and sisters Irene
West and Lt. Colonel Mary War